In a typical electrical connector (sometimes referred to in the art as a cable termination or when assembled with a cable as a cable termination assembly) the cable conductors are terminated by connection to the respective electrical contacts that are located at least partly in a housing. When the connector is a female connector type, the contacts usually are fully within the connector housing and are intended to receive male contacts, such as blades, pins, etc., that are placed into mechanical and electrical engagement/connection therewith. In a male connector usually portions of the male contacts extend outside the connector housing exposed for insertion into the female connector housing for mechanical and electrical connection with respective female contacts. The electrical cable may have one or more conductors contained in separate, shared or both electrical insulating material, and usually each conductor is terminated by connection to a respective contact in the connector housing. The actual conductor size, e.g., diameter, conductivity, resistivity, current and/or voltage capacity, etc., and the corresponding size of the contacts usually is a function of the magnitude of the signal(s) intended to be carried. The size of the connector housing also usually is proportional to the cable and contact sizes and the desired power capacity of the connector. Exemplary connectors for industrial machinery and equipment often are sized to carry 15, 20, or 30 amperes; the invention may be used with larger or smaller connectors and cables.
When an electrical connector is intended for use in wet environments, hazardous environments, etc, it is desirable that the electrical connector be water tight. In a water tight electrical connector various means are used to prevent water and/or other liquids from too easily entering the connector housing where connections are made between contacts and cable conductors. It also is desirable in some circumstances to prevent water from entering the space between two connectors that are connected, e.g., plugged, together. Various sealing mechanisms have been used for these purposes in the past.
In some prior electrical connectors, various media have been placed in the connector housing to prevent arcing, to avoid corrosion, and to facilitate sliding of contacts into and out of engagement with each other. A problem with a fluid medium, such as grease, in the connector housing, has been the inability conveniently to replenish the medium when and if some has leaked from the connector housing. Other problems with electrical connectors that have had grease-type medium in the connector housing have been the difficulty of securely retaining the cable in attachment to the connector housing to prevent relative movement of the cable and connector housing due to the lubricated environment, the prevention of mechanical stress being applied to the contacts and their engagements or connections to the cable conductor in that connector housing, the blocking of leakage of the medium (as was mentioned above), and the avoiding of damage to the cable by bending over too sharp a bend where the cable exits the connector housing.
In the food processing industry and/or in other industries where it is necessary to wash equipment relatively frequently for cleanliness, it is important to assure that the electrical connectors used in such environments can withstand the frequent washing without being damaged by moisture. A problem in such environments is the accumulation of bacteria, the washing being intended to minimize such accumulation. However, within an electrical connector in which moisture possibly may enter, there frequently is a relatively warm environment, especially when electric current is being carded, and such a local environment, which is relatively inaccessible for washing, may provide a haven for growth and accumulation of bacteria.
Various features of the present invention help to overcome respective ones of the aforementioned problems encountered in prior electrical connector systems.